Transformers Dawn
by Literaturefangirl
Summary: Cybertron is steadily being rebuilt, Cybertronian refugees are slowly returning home, but an old enemy all but forgotten from Team Prime's past threatens to break the peace. But in this new age, one bot is living proof that some things never truly die and his name... is Rodimus.
1. Loss

Transformers Dawn

**Loss**

Predaking looked down upon Starscream's mutilated body, it was scorched and covered with bite marks and scratches that were slowly trickling down energon, inflicted by Predaking's razor sharp claws. One of Starscream's wings had been severed in half, while the other was severely dented.

Once he was satisfied that there was not a single sign of life left in Starscream's chassis, Predaking announced, "Retribution has finally been served."

Predaking then kicked Starscream's prone form aside and he Darksteel and Skylynx left Starscream to rust and departed from Darkmount.

But what the three Predacons did not know is that Starscream was one of the most tenacious bots on Cybertron and what appeared to be a lifeless shell was Starscream barely online, fighting desperately for his spark with the last shred of strength he possessed.

Vision blurry and energon oozing copiously from his wounds, Starscream raised his arm feebly to his head and turned on his com-link with his energon stained fingers.

"Knockout… need a medic." Starscream barely managed to utter before letting his arm drop and falling into recharge.

Near the well of All Sparks the Autobots watched the magnificent light show that was the hundreds of multi-coloured sparks streaming out of the well of All Sparks.

The sparks rushed out of the well in many different directions, ready to infuse the still forms of protoforms on Cybertron with life.

But the momentous event was interrupted for Knockout as he heard Starscream's raspy voice via his com-link.

"Starscream where are you?" Knockout asked.

He received no answer from his com-link.

"Starscream can you hear me? _Where_ are you?" Knockout repeated, voice slightly raised out of worry for his fellow Decepticon.

"…Darkmount." Starscream whispered.

The pain in Starscream's voice was evident. The Autobots watched as Knockout quickly transformed into his vehicle mode and raced towards the Decepticon's former base of operations.

"You better go after him Ratchet. He might need your help." Arcee told Ratchet.

Ratchet nodded and transformed into his vehicle mode and took off into the direction Knockout was heading.

After a short, high speed drive the two bots arrived at Darkmount.

"I'm perfectly capable of handling this myse—"Knockout began, before he was interrupted by a bad tempered Ratchet.

"Where exactly _in _Darkmount did he say he was?"

Ratchet knew that it was his duty to help anyone who needed medical attention, but he had just lost his oldest and most beloved friend and the last thing he wanted to do at the moment was to look all over Darkmount to find and treat a Decepticon that had caused him and his friends so much grief.

Knockout looked up at the tower to see how many potential floors Starscream could be located on. While he was looking up, Knockout could make out three faint figures flying away from the direction of the tower.

"I think the Predacons got to him." Knockout said, making Ratchet's mouth widen a little. The news horrifying to the two medics as they imagined its outcome.

After they had reached the top floor and found Starscream, Ratchet and Knockout brought him back to the Nemesis for medical treatment. They did all they could to repair his injuries, but despite their combined medical knowledge, could not repair the one thing that mattered the most to Starscream.

Starscream opened his eyes slowly, his vision fuzzy but slowly coming into focus. He eventually noticed that he was in Knockout's laboratory and in his mind was relieved that he was in a safe place. But then reality sunk in and Starscream realised, if he was safe, why was he in Knockout's laboratory?

Starscream looked down at his arm and saw that a medical tube was inserted into his arm. But it wasn't what he saw that was troubling him, it was what he _couldn't _feel.

"Knockout!" Starscream hollered.

"Yes Starscream?' Knockout who was standing close by, came up to Starscream to see what the matter was.

"What's happened to my wings, I can barely feel them!" Starscream with a panicked voice.

Starscream's wings were one of his most precious assets and he couldn't bear to live without them.

"I'm sorry Starscream, we couldn't save your wings. One of them was severed and the other—"

"WHAT?! You incompetent fool!" Starscream screeched making Knockout back away. Starscream tried to get up from the medical berth, but the effort proved to be too painful and he groaned with pain and lowered himself back onto the berth.

"You should consider yourself lucky to have escaped with your life Starscream." Ratchet said in a serious tone. Someone very precious to him had lost his life that day and Ratchet could not tolerate such ungratefulness.

"You call _this _lucky?!" Starscream gestured to his damaged wings. The gesture making him wince with pain.

"I've seen worse." Ratchet said a little unsympathetically.

"But I'll never be able to fly again!" Starscream whined, making Ratchet roll his optics. Starscream's high pitched whines were beginning to get on Ratchet's nerves.

"You better get used to it, because those Predacons are going to find you eventually." Ratchet reminded Starscream

"What?!" Starscream exclaimed.

"Once they realise that you're not off-line, they _will_ find you again." Ratchet explained.

"What am I going to do?!" Starscream asked anxiously.

"Leave this planet and find somewhere else to live." Ratchet advised.

"I can't leave Cybertron, I have nowhere else to go to!" Starscream protested.

"It's either that or you become Predacon chow." Knockout joked.

Starscream glared at Knockout. This was a serious matter and Starscream did not appreciate that Knockout was treating it lightly.

"Can't you protect me if I join your team?" Starscream asked desperately. This was his last resort, there was no other solution. If he couldn't find someone to defend him, he would helpless against the Predacons.

"HA!" Ratchet exclaimed. Ratchet knew of Starscream's back-stabbing tendencies and found his attempt to switch sides very amusing.

Starscream frowned and opened his mouth wide in outrage.

"You would leave me to the mercy of those beasts?!" Starscream asked angrily.

"Yes." Ratchet answered him bluntly.

What little was left of Starscream's wings drooped down in disappointment.

"_But_… Bulkhead _could_ use the extra labour to reconstruct the buildings. You may be of some use to us." Ratchet thought carefully and offered a proposition to Starscream.

"THANK YOU Autobot!" Starscream thanked Ratchet gratefully.

"Don't mention it and my name is Ratchet. You're going to have to bother to use our names if you want to be on our team." Ratchet reminded him.

"Yes, yes of course _Ratchet._" Starscream quickly replied.

It wasn't much of a future, but Starscream was happy that he could look forward to another day, without fearing for his life and that he still had a purpose on Cybertron without serving his former leader Megatron.

* * *

******Hi guys, I hope you enjoyed reading my story. Please let me know what you thought of it. Thank you.**


	2. A new era

Transformers Dawn

**A new era**

A year has passed and the reconstruction of Cybertron had progressed well for the Autobots.

They had completed a quarter of the repairs that needed to be done, thanks to the help of the newly activated Cybertronians.

With the oppressive caste system abolished and no one to enforce it, a new system could take its place. A well balanced, but fair system that would give the new generation of Cybertronians the freedom to have the role in society of their choice, yet designate the minimum amount of workers to areas of need, to prevent surplus numbers of Cybertronians in the same occupation.

As the new generation of Cybertronians completed their primary programming. The number of Cybertron's students grew. With the war over and Cybertron a safe haven, former students that had fled during the war and young Cybertronians of age were now able to complete and begin their path towards their future occupation.

Three such bots, new pupils in the Autobot boot camp but distinguished enough to be trusted with important duties were walking around Cybertron one day, entrusted in bringing equipment and weapons back to the Autobot boot camp from a distant storage facility.

Weapons that in the hand of rookies were very unlikely to cause a serious accident if something unfortunate was to occur. Weapons such as grenades that couldn't cause damage unless the pin was deliberately pulled and blasters with safety locks for obvious reasons to be used for target practice.

As the three young bots walked towards their destination, they engaged in an enthusiastic chat to pass the time.

"Woah! Check out the barrel of _that _blaster. I bet it could pack some _serious_ punch." A purple femme remarked, clearly impressed by the new weapons they had been ordered to deliver.

The femme was holding a crate of blasters under one arm and inspecting a blaster with the other.

"Hey! Can I see that?" A blue mech pushed a burgundy mech aside to reach out for the blaster the femme was holding, who was walking on the other side of him.

"Hey watch it! It's not like we're carrying _dangerous_ weapons or anything." The burgundy mech reproached his friend that had pushed him aside.

"You worry too much Rodimus, relax." The femme addressed him.

With friends like you two I can't, Rodimus thought grimly.

"Hey Skram, he's doing that face again." The femme called out to her blue companion, as she noticed Rodimus' serious face.

"You've been looking all serious all day! You should enjoy this break while it lasts!" The femme pointed out.

"Yeah whatever…" Rodimus muttered. Despite being one of the top students in the boot camp Rodimus was always little too hard on himself and doubting his abilities when he had time for some quiet reflection.

The three bots continued to talk amongst themselves, walking past bots strolling through the busy streets.

As they walked, two bots were nearing the three young students. It was Bulkhead and Arcee on their break, enjoying a walk through the streets.

"I heard that Smokescreen's been giving the new recruits at the boot camp a really hard time." Arcee said.

"I would too, if I was in charge of the place!" Bulkhead admitted

"Bulkhead!" Arcee exclaimed surprised by her friend's remark.

"What?!" Bulkhead defended himself innocently.

**CLICK**

Arcee and Bulkhead heard a clicking sound and some angry voices shouting close by.

"What was that?"

"Did you just pull the pin?!"

"It was an accident!"

"Get rid of it! Quick!"

"No! Don't throw it over there!"

"Look out!"

Quite foolishly, in her haste to dispose of the grenade, the purple femme Quickslinger had thrown the grenade towards Arcee and Bulkhead. It landed at their feet.

Without thinking Rodimus raced towards Arcee and Bulkhead and dove towards the fallen grenade before they could pick it up. Shielding them from the grenade with his body.

Bulkhead and Arcee's eyes widened. What was he doing?! They thought.

Bulkhead pushed Rodimus away and quickly picked up the grenade and lobbed it as far away as he could with the mighty strength in his arm.

Rodimus watched the grenade explode safely out of harm's way.

"Keep that up kid and you'll be joining the Well of All Sparks in no time." Bulkhead helped Rodimus to his feet and joked.

Rodimus remained silent and expressionless, upon seeing this Bulkhead's smile faltered.

No sense of humour then. Poor kid. Bulkhead sympathised with his would be saviour.

Skram and Quickslinger then came rushing in to see if their friend was alright.

Seeing their presence Arcee took this opportunity to scold the young bots. "Be more careful you three, OK?"

"OK!" Quickslinger and Skram replied in unison and continued walking towards the boot camp.

Rodimus lingered for a short time and Arcee placed a hand on Rodimus' shoulder and said, "Take it easy, OK?"

"OK." Rodimus replied quietly and allowed himself a smile. Rodimus then joined the others.

Although naturally chatty, for the rest of the journey Quickslinger and Skram talked quietly to themselves out of respect for Rodimus, while he said nothing and dwelled on his thoughts.

You scraphead! Rodimus berated himself in his head. Instead of feeling shocked after his ordeal, Rodimus felt anger instead. For reasons other than for saving his life Rodimus had felt a strong affinity towards the strangers, particularly the blue femme and felt very angry and embarrassed with himself for acting so foolish in front of them by sacrificing himself.

He just couldn't help it. It was in his nature to be selfless. Some day he hoped, he would meet those two strangers again under better circumstances.

* * *

**Hi guys, I hope you enjoyed reading my story. Please let me know what you thought of it. Thank you.**

Up next Rodimus meets a familiar red and blue Autobot...  


**Disclaimer: Quickslinger, Skram and Rodimus jumping on top of the grenade belong to the Transformers Animated All-Spark Almanac.**


	3. Plague

Transformers Dawn

**Plague**

Starscream walked slowly towards a construction site, carrying a big sheet of metal over his shoulder. Without flight, or remarkable strength, the only useful thing that Starscream was capable of doing was bringing material for the Autobots to work with, to repair buildings.

It was a slow process, since Starscream could only carry a small amount of material without wearing himself out in his fragile state. Starscream's ordeal with the Predacons had left a permanent mark on him. Alive but weakened, Starscream had very little hope to ever regain the strength he once had.

But instead of taking the tempting opportunity to let his spirits fall, Starscream rose above it and let his anger towards the Predacons give him strength. With the Predacons constantly on his mind, it helped Starscream somewhat to forget the loss of his wings and physical capabilities.

It could be said that the Predacons were strangely both the bane and solace in Starscream's life.

As Starscream walked towards the construction site, he tripped over an unknown object and dropped the sheet of metal on the ground, producing a loud clanging sound. Unharmed Starscream grumbled and got up. He stormed towards the direction of the offending object.

Although the Cybertronians had done their best efforts to dispose of infected bodies from the Cybonic plague during the Great War, one had gone unnoticed. Almost hidden out of sight, under a bent piece of metal, one of its legs had managed to protrude and cause Starscream to trip.

Consumed with rage Starscream took hold of the bent piece of metal and sent it flying into the air, revealing the Cybertronian corpse beneath it.

"The Cybonic plague…" Starscream remarked, his lips slowly spreading into a sinister smile, his discovery inspiring him with a malicious idea. His most clever idea yet!

"If I can't defeat those beasts with brute force, than a deadly illness should do the trick." Starscream reasoned.

It was the perfect opportunity. With so little choices available to him, all Starscream had to do was infect the Predacons with the infected energon and the virus would do all the work for him, with no one suspecting a thing.

"It's only a matter of distributing it." Starscream smiled.

He walked away from the body and picked up the fallen building material and continued towards his destination to resume his duties. Once that had been completed, he would be free to carry out his plan.

* * *

Rodimus stood on an outcrop somewhere on Cybertron, hand over his eyes to block out the sun's light, helping him to focus on the vast valley ahead of him.

"Rod, what are we doing here?" Quickslinger asked Rodimus impatiently.

They had been driving around Cybertron for half an hour to get to this place and Rodimus had given his friends very little explanation.

"We're _here_ to see a Predacon." Rodimus replied patiently, as if it was perfectly clear. When he had given his friends no explanation.

"Can't you just look at one from a database?" Quickslinger pleaded.

Impatience was beginning to turn into anxiety and Quickslinger suddenly feared a Predacon actually showing up.

"It's not the same thing! I want to see a _real _one. It'll be exciting!" Rodimus turned around to face his friends.

"Yeah, when it kills you!" Skram quipped.

Rodimus glared at him, when suddenly he was startled by a loud noise. It was an explosion, followed by a faint hissing sound of gas spreading through the air and a screech of pain.

A large, dark shape then flew over the three Autobots, it was a Predacon. Energon leaked from its body, the speed at which it was flying sent energon splattering and the Predacon came crashing down into the valley. The contact of the Predacon's body upon the metal ground making a loud screeching sound.

The three Autobots ran away from the valley in fright, Rodimus rubbed one of his optics as he ran away. The Predacon's blood had landed in his optic and he was trying to rub out the irritant.

Seeing that his friends had transformed and were driving away, Rodimus stopped rubbing his optic and transformed into his vehicle mode. He accelerated and caught up with Quickslinger and Skram.

"Are you _happy_ now?" Quickslinger asked Rodimus with an annoyed tone. Spark still racing, Quickslinger at least wanted to know whether all this trouble had been worth it.

"Yes I am_." _Rodimus answered obstinately.

After driving very fast for a few minutes, Rodimus was beginning to get tired and asked.

"Guys can we slow down? I'm tired."

"We can't! If we're late Smokescreen is going to make us run laps around Cybertron!" Skram answered.

Rodimus sighed quietly.

Rodimus continued to drive as fast as he could, struggling to keep up with is peers but his strength eventually reached his limits and he stopped driving completely. He abruptly transformed back into his robot mode and sprawled onto the ground.

"Rodimus!" Quickslinger exclaimed and rushed over to him. His optics were closed and his face was mottled with patches of dark grey rust.

"Cosmic rust!" Skram exclaimed.

"Skram call Smokescreen, tell him we need a medic and FAST!" Quickslinger living up to her name acted fast and ordered Skram to get some help.

* * *

"Ratchet we need you back on Cybertron now!"

Ratchet received this incoming transmission from Cybertron from Smokescreen back on Earth in the Autobot base.

"Why? What's happened?" Ratchet asked, alarmed by this sudden communication.

His stay on Earth had been relatively undisturbed and the Autobots had not called him in a while. To be called now, meant that something very serious had happened.

"There's a bot that caught the Cybonic plague!" Smokescreen cried out.

"By the All-Spark!" Ratchet exclaimed.

On the Nemesis, inside the laboratory Arcee watched as Ratchet scanned Rodimus' chassis with his red medical scanner and read his vital signs.

"He's barely been online a stellar cycle, such a young body is not going to have an immune system strong enough to fight the virus." Ratchet informed her.

"Do you think you'll be able to remember the entire formula for the cure?" Arcee asked.

It had been a very long time ago that Ratchet had seen the chemical formula of the cure and with no easily accessible records, Ratchet would have to depend on his memory alone to save Rodimus' life.

"Yes, but if the worse should happen, I will need your help to locate Megatron." Ratchet told her.

"Well let's hope it doesn't come to that." Arcee said bitterly.

Although his desire for war was gone and Megatron was on relatively good terms with the Autobots, Arcee still held a grudge against him for all harm he had caused.

Rodimus lay still on the medical berth, his face mottled with rust with dark veins spread across his face. The light in Rodimus' optics flickered on and off, producing a sputtering sound. He groaned and closed his optics to rest.

Rodimus drifted off into recharge, but after a short while found himself in a dark and unknown place, the only light source, a glimmering light in the centre.

It was the Well of All-Sparks and Rodimus was hovering above it, like a spirit.

"Am I one with the All-Spark?" Rodimus said out loud. His voice echoing in the hollow place.

A tall figure then emerged from the darkness and approached Rodimus.

Rodimus gasped from the surprise and staggered backwards.

"Do not be alarmed, my name is Optimus Prime." Optimus calmly said, trying to reassure Rodimus.

"What the frag is going on?!" Rodimus demanded to know.

Rodimus was very scared and confused at the same time, he was in the Well of All-Sparks, potentially about to go off-line and a bot he had never met before had told him not to be alarmed.

"You are dreaming, you have contracted the Cybonic plague. My old friend is doing everything in his power to save you, but your body is struggling to survive." Optimus informed him.

"Ratchet…"

"You remember." Optimus smiled.

"How is that possible?" Rodimus asked.

"When I sacrificed my spark for the good of Cybertron, my spark was reborn. But the spark of which I speak of was not solely mine. Although my essence and memories remained, I shared this spark with another. That being is you." Optimus explained.

"Me?! Why me? Why did you choose my spark?" Rodimus asked in disbelief.

He wasn't important, why would a Prime want to share his spark? Rodimus thought.

"Although the age of Primes is over and the Matrix of leadership is lost to us, my spark was drawn to one who possesses the attributes of a true leader. You may not be a Prime, but the actions you have demonstrated prove that you are a Prime in spirit." Optimus told him.

"Why are you here?" Rodimus asked curiously.

If Optimus truly was sharing his spark, why did he not make his presence known earlier?

"Because you are dying and I am here to ensure that you do not. You must fight against this virus, because I sense that there will be dark times ahead of us and Cybertron will one day need a Prime to lead them." Optimus informed Rodimus of his purpose.

"I'm not ready for this! I can't lead Cybertron, I'm just a rookie!" Rodimus depreciated his abilities.

"You may be correct, but you are wise beyond your years and the wisdom I have learned in my lifetime lives within your spark." Optimus revealed to him.

"What's going to happen to you when I wake up?" Rodimus asked with a hint of sadness.

For the first time in his life someone had recognized his true potential and had treated him with such kindness, that Rodimus was sad to think that he may leave him.

"I will stay dormant in your spark and I will arise only in times of greatest need. Your spark is your own and I am not here to share your life, but to guide you through it." Optimus placed a hand on Rodimus' shoulder and told him gently.

"What about your friends, do I tell them?" Rodimus asked.

With the knowledge that he now possessed the memories and spirit of Optimus Prime. Rodimus anticipated that new problems would present themselves, if he was ever to meet any of his acquaintances.

"I have faith that you will make the right choice Rodimus, whether you reveal it to them or not, but be gentle with Ratchet. It will be hardest for him to take it." Optimus Prime advised him.

"Don't worry, I will." Rodimus assured him.

The Well of All-Sparks then faded away, as Rodimus woke up and opened his optics.

"He's coming back online." Rodimus heard Arcee say.

Once Ratchet determined that his patient was fully awake, he told him. "We nearly lost you, but you pulled through."

"That's because you always were such a capable physician." Rodimus answered him.

"You must be mistaken, I've never treated you before." Ratchet pointed out.

"Forget I said anything Doc." Rodimus smiled innocently and dismissed what he had said with a wave of his hand.

"Yes, yes of course." Ratchet said quickly, feeling a little unsettled by what Rodimus had said and walked away from Rodimus, followed by Arcee.

"That poor kid can never catch a break. Is he going to be OK?" Arcee asked.

"His condition is stable and he'll make a full recovery. Wait! What did you say before that?!"

"Oh! I met him last week, when Bulkhead and I were taking a break. He nearly joined Primus when he jumped on top of a grenade his friends accidentally activated. Bulkhead lobbed it away just in time though" Arcee told Ratchet of her previous encounter.

"Really?" Ratchet said quietly as he pondered over what Arcee had said.

"Remind of you anyone?" Arcee said with a knowing smile.

"I can think of one bot…" Ratchet replied with an equally knowing tone.

Ratchet looked back at Rodimus and wondered, was he the reincarnation of Optimus' spark in a new form?

Ratchet could not figure it out. But Ratchet had a suspicion that whatever it was, that he was about to discover, would be very enlightening.

* * *

**Hi guys, I hope you enjoyed reading my story. Please let me know what you thought of it. Thank you.  
**

**Instead of a classic reincarnation I decided to make Optimus' reincarnation differ and make it so that Optimus can communicate with Rodimus like Alpha Trion did with Optimus.**

**Up next a certain eight legged foe, makes a return...**


	4. Loose ends

Transformers Dawn

**Loose ends**

At the site of the Predacon's refuge, the former Predacon burial grounds. Predaking and Darksteel gathered around their fallen comrade Skylynx.

He lay on the ground, struggling to breathe, the Cybonic plague taking its toll on his body. The rust already having spread across his entire face.

"Darksteel what ails you?" Predaking asked Skylynx, the symptoms of the Cybonic plague bewildering the leader of the Predacons. Although intelligent enough to transform from his beast mode and proclaim himself as the leader of the Predacons. Predaking had no knowledge of the existence of a biological plague developed during the Great War.

Darksteel groaned, but otherwise said nothing. Weakness preventing him from doing so.

"He needs a medic." Skylynx was quick to point out the obvious.

"But that would require assistance from our enemies the Autobots! Or have you forgotten that they were responsible for the deaths of our brothers?" Predaking snapped.

"If we don't act now, _you'll_ be responsible for the death of our brother." Skylynx reminded his leader a little impudently. Although keeping a cautious amount of respect for his leader, Skylynx was not afraid to set his leader in his place.

Predaking snarled at Skylynx but then contained himself and said menacingly. "Your insolence has been noted, but I shall summon the Autobots, so that Darksteel may receive medical attention."

Predaking moved away from Skylynx and Darksteel and transformed into his beast form and breathed out a long pillar of flame towards the sky.

The flame illuminating the sky like a beacon for all the inhabitants of Cybertron to see.

Back on the Nemesis, Ratchet shone a light into one of Rodimus' optics and said, "Follow the light."

Rodimus obeyed, his optic contracting as the bright light reached his optic nerve.

"Good, good." Ratchet said as Rodimus' optic followed the light without any difficulty.

It was strange and a little bit saddening for Ratchet to relive a situation he had experienced before with his old friend Optimus, but at the same time it was a relief to know that his patient had fully recovered from the Cybonic plague.

Ratchet had grown quite fond of Rodimus after hearing about his encounter with Arcee and he was happy to know that he would be making a full recovery.

Ratchet was about to inform his patient about the state of his health, when he received a communication via his com-link.

"What is it?" Ratchet asked.

"Ratchet! One of the Predacons is wounded and has the Cybonic plague." Bumblebee informed him urgently.

"I'm on my way." Ratchet answered and ceased the transmission.

Ratchet faced Rodimus and quickly told him, "You're systems are functioning perfectly Rodimus, I wouldn't recommend anything strenuous, but you may leave if you feel up to it."

"Thanks to _you_ Doc." Rodimus reminded Ratchet.

"Don't call me Doc! And you're welcome." Ratchet replied a little irritably, although Rodimus had addressed him by a nick name he despised, beneath his ill-tempered tone Ratchet did not entirely dislike the name. It reminded him of old memories from long ago…

Doctor, old friend, Doc-bot, Doc… There were all essentially the same thing. A name.

One was an earned title and carried more respect, while others were solely to tease, but there were some that carried a stronger bond. But they all shared one thing in common, they all conveyed a sense of affection and it comforted Ratchet to feel appreciated in his time of grieving.

Rodimus got up from the medical berth and walked out of the laboratory and had one last glance at the bot that had saved his life. Ratchet was rapidly gathering equipment and pouring solutions from test tubes into beakers in a rush to make a batch of the cure for the Cybonic plague in time. Rodimus smiled and left the laboratory.

A small ship made its way towards Cybertron, it was battered and rusty, as a result of a long duration of use. As it neared its destination, it passed one of Cybertron's moons.

Unfortunately for the pilot of the vessel, this moon was occupied by the Decepticon named Airachnid and her army of Insecticons.

Airachnid's hunter's instinct alerted her to the presence of the ship quickly, a fierce hunger driving her into action. The many months of being stranded on the moon had drained her and her Insecticons, with very little of their original numbers still alive and Airachnid was thirsty for _fresh _energon.

With keen reflexes Airachnid launched a web in the direction of the ship and it attached itself perfectly. She climbed up the web and was now on top of the ship. The pilot oblivious to her movements.

"ENERGON!" Airachnid hoarsely cried out and stabbed at the ship's viewport with her sharp appendages leaving a small crack on the screen, eliciting a cry of surprise from the pilot in the ship.

Having quickly made his way to the Predacon's refuge by a ground bridge, Ratchet approached Darksteel and kneeled down while casting a look at Darksteel's face. It was mottled with dark, gritty rust and instead of occasionally flickering, Darksteel's optics ceased to do so, instead emitting a fainter light, as if his life force was fading away.

"What happened?!" Ratchet asked.

"My brothers and I were resting in our home, when an object was thrown at us and it exploded, releasing a strange gas. Skylynx and I were not close enough to be affected, but Darksteel unfortunately was." Predaking informed him with a hint of sadness.

"Who could have…? Of course! Starscream!" Ratchet muttered to himself.

Predaking overheard Ratchet's muttering and asked, "The villain lives?!"

"Yes, he _barely_ survived your attack… He'll probably be _miles_ away from here by now." Ratchet answered neutrally but with a tone of criticism towards Predaking.

"And you healed him?!" Predaking asked, infuriated by the news.

Realising that this discussion was wasting precious time, Ratchet opened his medical kit and got a large syringe out, filled with the cure for the Cybonic plague. He answered Predaking without looking at him as he took hold of Darksteel's arm and injected it with the cure,

"Yes I did, because it was my duty. To heal Decepticons _and _Predacons alike."

Predaking said nothing and Darksteel gave a loud grunt of pain, but did not struggle otherwise. Once all the cure had entered Darksteel's system, Ratchet withdrew the syringe and put it back into his medical kit.

"His body should recover from the plague soon enough. If I had gotten here any later he would not have survived." Ratchet gravely informed Predaking and Skylynx.

"Although it displeases to me to have required your help _Autobot_, we are in your debt." Predaking bowed his head down slightly as a sign of his gratitude.

No further words were needed, as Ratchet realised the importance of this gesture, so Ratchet bowed his head down in return.

As Ratchet turned to leave, he heard the sound of a crash and saw a trail of smoke from behind some buildings nearby.

Ratchet's eyes widened. He picked up his medical kit and transformed into his vehicle mode and raced towards the site of the crash.

He soon arrived at the scene. Large groups of Cybertronians had gathered around the burning ship. The viewport of the ship was smashed, the exterior of the ship was scorched and bent and the doors of the ship were completely gone, having flown off the ship by the force of the impact.

A dark green Autobot with energon dribbling from his head crawled out of the ship and collapsed to the ground.

Hiding behind the other side of the ship, Airachnid observed the Autobot and seized the moment. Her prey had collapsed, her prey was weak and the time for feeding had come.

Ratchet recognized the Autobot and rushed towards him, "Hound!"

Ratchet kneeled down and turned Hound over on his back, so that Ratchet could properly examine him.

Fortunately for Hound, Airachnid had chosen this exact moment when Ratchet was by Hound's side, to leap into the air and pounce on Hound. Like a predator preparing to give the lethal blow.

Despite his age, Ratchet's reflexes were as sharp as ever and Ratchet quickly turned around and drew out his blade and wounded Airachnid before she could harm Hound and himself.

Airachnid screeched with pain and darted away from the crowd to take a refuge.

Ratchet retracted his blade and looked at Hound's bloodied face and said, "That was too close…"

* * *

**Hi guys, I hope you enjoyed reading my story. Please let me know what you thought of it. Thank you.  
**

**Rodimus finally joins in the tradition of calling Ratchet Doc, Ratchet gets to be badaft and my favourite character from G1 makes an appearance. What could be better?  
**

**Up next Rodimus meets many characters and takes his first step towards being a true hero...  
**


	5. Closure

Transformers Dawn

**Closure**

* * *

**Get ready for some feels guys, because there's going to be a scrap load of them in this chapter!**

* * *

After leaving the laboratory, Rodimus walked through the corridors of the Nemesis, in the search for a room with a ground bridge he could use to leave the ship. He had looked through several rooms aboard the ship, but with no success.

Ratchet had left in such a rush to get to the Predacons, that he had not told Rodimus where on the ship he could find a ground bridge. So Rodimus was left on his own to find his own way off the ship.

As Rodimus continued to walk through the corridors, a red mech turned left into an area where the corridors intersected and came across Rodimus. Upon seeing the stranger Knock Out reacted to his presence in the way he knew best. With a compliment.

"_Nice_ paint job!"

"Thanks!" Rodimus replied, pleasantly surprised by the sudden compliment. He had not seen anyone else aboard the ship and had not expected the first person he encountered to give him a compliment.

Knockout looked closer at the flames emblazoned on Rodimus' chest and remarked in awe and with a hint of envy, "Those flames look _stunning_!"

"Yeah I like them too!" Rodimus agreed enthusiastically. Rodimus was thrilled to meet someone who admired his paint job so much.

"My name is Knock Out by the way, automobile enthusiast and medic here on the Nemesis." Knock Out held out his servo for Rodimus to shake.

Rodimus accepted his offer and shook Knock Out's servo. "My name is Rodimus."

The temporary distraction of meeting Knock Out soon began to wear off and Rodimus jerked his head up when he remembered what he had set out to do.

"Hey! Do you know where I can find a ground bridge around here?"

"Of course and I'll personally show you the way." Knock Out led the way with a sweeping gesture of his arm.

"Thanks."

"Not a problem." Knock Out replied.

Knock Out and Rodimus walked quietly through the corridors of the Nemesis for a while, the only noise present being the hum of the ship's engine and the sound of the two Cybertronian's footsteps. Rodimus began to feel a bit awkward, so he attempted to start a conversation to give himself and Knock Out something to do as they walked.

"So what do you do for fun around here? It seems pretty boring on this ship."

"Well… as you can see from my _lustrous_ finish, I like to keep myself presentable by polishing my finish and from time to time, I like to indulge in a bit of racing." Knock Out told Rodimus happily, pleased that Rodimus was taking an interest in him.

Rodimus' brows rose at the sound of the word 'racing'. His lip components spread into a smile. Racing was just the thrill that he was looking for. Rodimus loved a bit of danger and competition and racing was the perfect activity to experience both.

"Perhaps you might like to join me someday? I bet you'd be pretty fast." Knock Out surprised Rodimus with another compliment.

"You really think so?!" Rodimus asked excitedly.

"Yes! But not as fast as _me_ of course." Knock Out said arrogantly.

"We'll see about that." Rodimus challenged Knock Out with a smirk.

"You've got attitude kid. I like that." Knock Out smiled.

"Anyway we have arrived." Knock Out informed Rodimus and entered one of the rooms in the Nemesis.

Knock Out then went up to a control panel and asked, "Where to?"

"Autobot boot camp."

Knock Out entered the co-ordinates into the control panel and pulled the ground bridge lever down, making a swirling green vortex materialize.

"See you around _Hot Rod!_" Knock Out waved at Rodimus.

"That's _not_ my name." Rodimus told Knock Out, feeling a bit annoyed at the nick name.

"It is _now_." Knock Out teased him. It amused him to banter with Rodimus. With Breakdown gone for such a long time, Knock Out had not had the chance to have a playful conversation with anyone else.

Knock Out watched as Rodimus rolled his optics and entered the ground bridge tunnel and disappeared from view.

* * *

At the Autobot boot camp, Smokescreen was struggling with his new responsibilities as a drill sergeant. It had been him of course that had begged to be put in charge of the Autobot boot camp, but on days like this Smokescreen occasionally regretted his decision.

Accidental injuries were almost inevitable, no matter how carefully he instructed his students and there was always rebellious, day dreaming or trigger happy bots that he had to deal with.

"Blaster! Get your head out of the clouds, those targets are not going to shoot themselves!" Smokescreen ordered and approached the offending student.

Blaster snapped out of his reverie and turned his head towards Smokescreen.

"Blaster! You have to FOCUS, if you want to improve!" Smokescreen lectured his student with frustration.

Blaster listened to his drill sergeant carefully, as if being snapped out of his day dream had put him on guard. From the corner of his optic, Blaster noticed a strange creature sneakily enter the boot camp before Smokescreen could have a chance to spot it.

"Uh… sir? What's that?" Blaster pointed to the intruder.

Smokescreen turned towards where Blaster had indicated and recognized the creature.

"Airachnid! How did _she_ get here?!" Smokescreen exclaimed.

The only time Smokescreen had ever seen Airachnid was when she was safely locked up inside a stasis pod, never to be released. So to see Airachnid at large was a distressing sight for Smokescreen.

Airachnid screeched and lunged towards one of the students.

"Never mind that! Shoot her!" Smokescreen dismissed his previous statement and activated his blaster and fired three shots at Airachnid, which she tried to dodge.

Two of those shots missed Airachnid, while the one that met its mark only enraged Airachnid and failed to stop her from draining the energon of a nearby student.

"No!" Smokescreen exclaimed as he watched one of his student's body crash to the ground in a lifeless heap.

Sounds of the student's screams and scrambling footsteps filled the camp, as the students watched one of their peers fall to the ground.

Smokescreen turned to Blaster and gave him a new set of instructions, "Blaster! Round everyone up and split them into two groups. I want a perimeter around the camp and an inner group to hold her off. We can't let her get to the populated areas!"

"What are _you_ going to do, sir?" Blaster asked, a little confused about the whole situation.

Blaster was a fairly inexperienced student and no drill Smokescreen had ever put the students through could have prepared him for this. With all the duties delegated to him, Blaster wondered what other possible duty Smokescreen could do.

"I'm calling for backup." Smokescreen put his hand to his head and turned on his com-link, as Blaster went out of sight and began to organize some troops, while blasting at the re-animated body of the former student.

"Wheeljack! This is Smokescreen! We've got a situation here. That freaky spider lady's back. Think you can come here and give me a hand?!"

"Hey, no problem, kid. I'll be there soon. Think you handle yourself until I get there? I'm only a few klicks away from your position." Wheeljack replied over the com-link.

"I think so, but if you don't hurry up, we'll all be zombies!" Smokescreen said.

Smokescreen then terminated the communication and contacted Ratchet.

* * *

Ratchet was on board the Nemesis besides Hound's medical berth. He scanned Hounds stasis-locked chassis with his medical scanner for any sign of improvement, when he received an incoming transmission from Smokescreen.

"Yes what is it?" Ratchet responded irritably. He had not finished his scan and did not like to be interrupted during important matters. Especially when it concerned an old friend.

"Ratchet! What do you know about zombies?" Smokescreen asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Airachnid's at the boot camp and she's attacking everybody and sucking out their energon! You fought Decepti-zombies before, how do we stop them?!" Smokescreen asked urgently.

Smokescreen had already called for backup, but he wanted to be certain that the mission would succeed, so he asked from a voice of wisdom who had experienced a situation such as this and would be most likely to comprehend and find a solution for the situation.

"Megatron was the only one who had access to dark energon and was able to control his soldiers back then. Unless…" Ratchet ceased the transmission and let his finger slide from his com-link.

With perfect timing, the instigator of the incident entered the laboratory.

"KNOCK OUT! Is there something you want to tell me about?" Ratchet asked angrily.

Although not yet aware that it was Knockout who was the perpetrator of this incident, Ratchet made a fairly logical assumption that the scientist may have had something to do with the occurrence of undead Cybertronians.

"Not particularly. Why?" Knock Out answered innocently. Years of his self-serving nature had made Knock Out very efficient at steering away blame and punishment from himself.

"Then please explain to me _why_ Airachnid has escaped and is turning people into so called 'zombies'?!" Ratchet demanded to know, beginning to lose his patience.

"Ah… I was hoping that we wouldn't have to get to that." Knock Out admitted.

He had been safe for now, but the consequences of his actions had finally caught up with him.

"Start talking. NOW!"

"_Well_… In the search to produce a perfect soldier for Lord Megatron, Starscream and I experimented with a mix of synthetic energon and dark energon. _And _we created Decepti-zombies in the process." Knock Out finished his sentence quickly, as if saying it faster would make Ratchet overlook it and spare him from punishment.

"Is there a cure?!" Ratchet asked, voice filled with hope that bloodshed may be spared.

"With an experimentation such as this, I would have to say no. The process is irreversible. And don't go for the head! Aim straight for the spark, I learned that the hard way." Knock Out added helpfully to try and redeem himself.

"Very well, I will inform the others. But know this Knock Out, you may be on our side but the blood of the Cybertronians who have fallen victim to Airachnid is on _your_ hands." Ratchet condemned Knock Out and looked back sadly at Hound's medical berth.

* * *

Starscream ran as fast as he could through the streets of Cybertron, desperate to get as far away from the Autobots as possible. He knew that once the Autobots discovered that it was him that had tried to kill the Predacons with the Cybonic plague, they would want to punish him for his behaviour.

But years of mistreatment by Megatron made Starscream underestimate the Autobot's leniency and he expected nothing short of a thrashing from the Autobots, like his former leader Megatron had done so many times.

Breathing hard and constantly looking over his shoulder, Starscream was not paying much attention to the things in front of him and he crashed into Rodimus, who was making his way to the Autobot boot camp.

Rodimus stayed steady after the impact, but Starscream lost his footing and fell backwards to the ground and landed on his aft.

"Sorry about that, let me help you up." Rodimus offered his servo to Starscream.

"I don't need your help _Autobot."_ Starscream pushed Rodimus' servo aside, rose from the ground and uttered the word 'Autobot' with as much contempt that he could muster and stormed away from Rodimus.

Rodimus frowned and sighed with frustration. Rodimus was a good natured bot and liked to help people, but it wasn't easy when they didn't let him.

"Do not waste your kindness on people like _him_."

Rodimus heard an unknown voice address him and noticed that the strange voice respectfully refrained from calling him Autobot.

Rodimus turned around and saw a tall, grey Cybertronian standing next to a statue of Optimus Prime.

A distant memory of a cruel Decepticon with blood red optics flashed through Rodimus' mind as he looked at the face of the Cybertronian. Rodimus shut his optics instinctively from the disturbing stimulus, shaking his head in an effort to block the memory from his mind.

The Cybertronian raised his brow in intrigue.

But the Cybertronian that stood there was much unlike the Decepticon in Rodimus' vision. His optics were magenta, his armour looked organic and rough; resembling the texture of bone. The spikes on his armour resembling huge fangs.

Rodimus frowned and tried to figure things out. Could it be that they were the same being, despite their obvious differences?

In his spark, Rodimus knew what the answer to that question was.

"It's OK. It doesn't matter." Rodimus shook his head.

"You are much more forgiving than most Cybertronians, quite like Optimus." Megatron remarked.

"Did you know him well?" Rodimus asked.

Although able to access Optimus Prime's memories and knowledge of his acquaintances, there were some things that were vague to Rodimus. Names may be familiar, faces as well, but for some like Megatron, the extent and the duration of his acquaintance with Optimus was unclear to Rodimus.

He knew Optimus and Megatron were mortal enemies, that much he knew, but what he did not know was their past history together from long ago.

The Megatron that stood by Optimus' statue seemed forlorn, not like the Megatron that Optimus had known and Rodimus had a feeling that there was more than meets the eye with a person like Megatron.

"Yes, he was like a brother to me. But we had our differences and we went our separate ways during the Great War." Megatron shared his story with Rodimus.

"Did you ever settle your differences before he… died?" Rodimus asked reluctantly.

If Megatron and Optimus had indeed been like brothers, Rodimus wanted to know whether there had been a peaceful resolution between the two leaders of warring factions, because like Optimus he believed in second chances and felt sympathy for Optimus' old enemy.

"In my spark I hope that we did and that he has forgiven me. Because I have come to realise that it was Optimus who saw through my erroneous thinking from the beginning. He believed that the Decepticons could redeem themselves and achieve peace with the Autobots, but I was too blind to see it." Megatron confessed and closed his eyes sadly

"He forgives you, you know." Rodimus told Megatron. Rodimus did not need to access Optimus Prime's memories to know that. He knew Optimus well enough to know that now that Megatron had ended the war, and that the scars of the war were beginning to heal. That Optimus would have forgiven his old nemesis.

"What did you say?" Megatron asked, intrigued by what Rodimus had revealed.

"Uh… I mean I'm sure he would forgive you, if he was still alive that is." Rodimus quickly corrected himself, to ensure that Megatron did not figure out that he knew more than he was letting on.

"You intrigue me young one, you speak as if you knew him well." Megatron remarked.

"In a matter of speaking, yes. I do know him well. I heard about him at school and uh… it sounds like the kind of thing he would do." Rodimus fabricated a lie with a half-truth.

It was true that the Great War had been discussed during Rodimus' primary programming and it was true that Rodimus knew Optimus well, but the manner in which he did, was not something that Rodimus believed Megatron should know.

"Hmmm… yes. Very well, I will trouble you no further." Megatron excused himself.

* * *

After a few minutes, Wheeljack arrived at the boot camp followed by Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead. A small number of undead Cybertronians lay on the ground, indicating Smokescreen's efforts, but a few still remained.

"What took you so long?!" Smokescreen reproached Wheeljack.

"Sorry Smokie, I was too busy taking an oil bath!" Wheeljack apologized sarcastically.

"You didn't need to bring everybody! This is a small situation, the two of us could have handled it!"

Bulkhead bashed one of the infected students with his wrecking ball, as it sneaked up behind Smokescreen, sending it flying into the air and crashing into a group of infected students.

"Are you sure about that Smokie?"

"OK! So maybe I do need help." Smokescreen admitted. Smokescreen always liked the opportunity to prove that he was capable, but at times of need he knew when it was important to ask for help.

The Autobots split into two groups consisting of Arcee and Bulkhead, and Bumblebee, Wheeljack and Smokescreen, with Smokescreen keeping a close distance to his students, if things got out of hand and they needed his help.

"We've got to stop running into undead zombies like this!" Arcee took note and stabbed one of them in the chest, penetrating the spark and killing it.

"I don't know Arcee, I kind of missed them." Bulkhead joked and lifted a zombie into the air by the chest and smashed it to ground, fracturing its chest, rendering it dead.

Arcee smiled wryly and swerved to the right, narrowly missing one of the zombie's secondary mouth.

Meanwhile Bumblebee's group was having similar luck and had almost succeeded in decimating every last infected student.

Bumblebee, Smokescreen and his students had their blasters locked onto Airachnid, continually firing at her to stop her from converting any more students into zombies, while Wheeljack picked off the last remaining ones, to put an end to this battle once and for all.

One of the zombies shot out its secondary mouth and tried to bite Wheeljack in the face to get a taste of his energon, it so desperately craved.

Wheeljack ducked and avoided its attack and leaped into the air, blades in both hands and landed on its chest and stabbed it, making its body crash to the ground.

Wheeljack stepped aside from the body and scanned the area for any more zombies, his sharp reflexes spotting the very last one near his side.

Wheeljack positioned himself into a defensive stance and swiped at the zombie with his blades, slicing it in half.

"Anyone else?" Wheeljack challenged with a smile. He could do this all day.

Feeling cornered by the students and the Autobot's constant fire, Airachnid charged through their group with a bestial strength, sending many of the students falling to the ground. Airachnid escaped the boot camp and climbed up some nearby buildings to make a safe get away.

"Wheeljack! Arcee! Bulkhead! Airachnid made a break for it!" Bumblebee called out to his fellow Autobots and pointed to the direction she took off.

Arcee frowned and swore, "Not. _This_ time."

Bulkhead watched as Arcee transformed into her vehicular mode and chased after Airachnid. Bulkhead followed after her.

"Don't start the party without me." Wheeljack called out and raced towards Arcee and Bulkhead.

Bumblebee remained, waiting for Smokescreen.

"Don't wait up for me Bee, I'm staying here." Smokescreen told his friend.

"Alright then." Bumblebee nodded and transformed into his vehicular mode and chased after his friends.

"It's ok guys, you can come back now." Smokescreen called out to the students forming the outer perimeter.

He had not forgotten their valiant efforts to defend them and summoned them back, so that they may get the rest they deserved. They slowly returned, followed by Rodimus who had finally arrived at the boot camp, running in.

"What happened here sir?!" Rodimus asked Smokescreen, noticing the tired faces of his peers and the bodies that littered the floor.

"A Decepticon attacked us, she was infected with dark energon and synthetic energon. She made converted students like her and we were forced to kill them…" Smokescreen informed him sadly.

"Where did she go?!" Rodimus asked urgently, fearing for the safety of others.

"Towards Darkmount I think." Smokescreen told him.

Rodimus transformed into his vehicular mode and accelerated towards the tower.

"Rodimus don't! THAT'S AN ORDER!" Smokescreen shouted at his student, his command falling on deaf audio sensors.

* * *

Meanwhile at Darkmount Airachnid had retreated to a safe place, at the highest point of tower where the Autobots couldn't reach her.

The Autobots fired at Airachnid, but she was too high up and it was too difficult to make an accurate shot.

"This ends _here_!" Arcee broke away from the group.

Bulkhead grabbed Arcee by the arm and cautioned her, "Arcee, don't do this."

"Don't try to stop me. This is personal." Arcee broke free from the grasp and entered the tower. She traversed up the tower and went through the outer doors that led to a bridge that was split across a smelting pit and acted as a makeshift plank.

Rodimus soon arrived at the scene, tires screeching as he came to halt. He transformed from his vehicle mode and spotted a familiar blue femme at the top of the tower.

Airachnid was on the other side of the bridge in a defensive stance, hissing and ready to pounce on Arcee like a predator. Arcee came closer to Airachnid, nearing the edge of the bridge. Arcee activated her blaster and was ready to shoot, when Airachnid bent her legs and prepared to attack.

"ARCEE! NO!" Rodimus screamed out Arcee's name, as he realised the danger she was in.

Without thinking Rodimus got his bow out, focussed on his target, pulled back the string and released the two arrows. He had to do it, there was no other way. No one else could reach Airachnid, but him. If he didn't kill her, Airachnid would kill Arcee and pose a threat to everybody on Cybertron.

As he released the string and the arrows flew into the air, Rodimus had a vision.

A vision of Optimus Prime flying towards the Well of All-Sparks and releasing the Matrix of Leadership into the well.

Optimus Prime's action in the past and Rodimus' action in the present…

Both of their actions heralding the beginning of something new, both actions done for the greater good, but both actions requiring a sacrifice. A sacrifice that would be felt by many, or just the one…

The Autobots turned their heads away as they heard a splash and the agonizing screams of Airachnid being melted by the scorching heat of the smelting pit.

Their heads turned to the source of the shot that had struck Airachnid; Rodimus.

Rodimus stared at the spot that Airachnid had previously occupied in horror and let his bow fall to the ground, the shock that he had killed someone weakening his legs, making him drop to the ground.

From high above Darkmount Arcee watched as Rodimus' familiar burgundy and orange form fell to the ground.

"Rodimus…"

Back on the ground level Wheeljack looked at Arcee's saviour and felt sympathy for the young bot. Based on his reaction to Airachnid's death, Wheeljack guessed that this was the young bot's first kill. It was a harrowing experience for anybody, but it must be even harder for a bot as young as him.

Wheeljack approached Rodimus and kneeled down beside him. He took hold of one of Rodimus' servo and helped him rise up. Wheeljack placed his servo on Rodimus' back to support him.

"Take it easy kid, it's OK"

"I killed her. I didn't think…I didn't mean…" Rodimus stammered, too shocked to form coherent sentences.

Wheeljack looked at the others for help. He was a lone wolf, he wasn't good at this sort of thing, but he realised that the young bot desperately needed some comfort right now.

Before the others could add anything, Wheeljack turned to Rodimus and said gently, "You did what you had to kid, you were just protecting Arcee."

Rodimus shut his optics tight and looked down at the ground, trying to block out everything, bad and otherwise.

"She's killed others before and would have kept on killing if you hadn't stopped her." Wheeljack reassured him.

Rodimus said nothing and continued to stare at the ground, completely devastated at what had happened.

Wheeljack didn't know what to do and looked up at the others once more and saw Arcee approaching and moved away from Rodimus.

Arcee kneeled down beside Rodimus and hugged him tightly, "_Thank you_ Rodimus."

Rodimus remained silent, looked up at Arcee and hugged her even tighter…

* * *

**Hi guys, I hope you enjoyed reading my story. Please let me know what you thought of it. Thank you.**

**Arcee's disgust at the smelting pit being the only active thing on Cybertron for all these years really left an impression on me. Since the pool has been included a few times in the show, I thought it could serve one last purpose of being the thing that extinguishes Airachnid's spark once and for all. You weren't expecting that were you? ;) **


End file.
